What is the status of the transformation project for the Place de la Petite-Hollande and its surroundings? Five years after making its intentions known, Nantes Métropole clarified the outlines of this emblematic project during a public meeting organized on Thursday evening. The major change obviously concerns parking. With a current capacity of a thousand places for cars, the sector will only offer about ten, reserved for taxis and car-sharing, by 2028. The idea of an underground car park has been abandoned.
Similarly, most of the car lanes will be removed, except for a road linking Feydeau Island to the Quai de la Fosse and positioned along the tramway. “Today this place in the city is a huge car park, ugly, out of step with our times. No one wants to go for a walk there. That’s why we want to put nature back there, ”explains Thomas Quéro (PS), deputy mayor of Nantes, in charge of urban planning.
The market maintained, Square Daviais too
Omnipresent today, bitumen will be largely replaced by plants. Some 17,000 m3 of earth will be added. More than 250 trees of all sizes will be planted. “We have planned more compared to the initial project with this idea of creating shade during heat peaks,” says Thomas Quéro. Large lawns will appear. Tall grass will be tolerated in a mini “meadow”. The grassy area, concentrated near the Loire, will be interspersed with pedestrian and cycle paths.
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To the east of the future square, near Square Daviais which will be “opened and rehabilitated”, the ground will be replaced by cobblestones. This is where the large Petite-Hollande market will take place every Saturday. “There was no question of moving it,” insists the chosen one.
Large tables, benches, small fountains, misters will be installed. But you will also find, near the Allée de l’île Gloriette, a playground, a solarium and an open-air theatre. There will also be four kiosks that can accommodate a “refreshment bar” or activities yet to be defined.
A view of the Loire
Finally, on the banks of the Loire, at the mouth of the Schoelcher footbridge, concrete bleachers descending towards the Loire will be built. “The idea is to find a contact and a point of view on the river. From one end of the square to the other, the view will be unobstructed. »
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To those who fear that this immense sector (10 ha) will be empty, even deserted in winter, Thomas Quéro replies that the “presence of plants will give relief and the desire to stroll to the Loire”. “We will have room to organize occasional events in the public space,” adds the elected official.
It will still be necessary to be patient since the work, piloted by the TER urban planning agency, will not begin until mid-2024 at the earliest. Delivery of the entire project is scheduled for 2028. Amount of investment: 70 million euros. In a second phase, the Quai de la Fosse will, in turn, be redeveloped, as well as part of the current tracks on the bank.
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